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Results tagged ‘ Canada ’

In the 2012 European Championship final, Team Italia winning pitcher John Mariotti limited the Netherlands to three hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out six in six innings of work.

Italian players celebrate after successfully defending the throne and winning its third consecutive European Championship and 10th title win in history since 1958.

Having been previously drafted twice by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after graduating from Toronto’s Chaminade College School in 2003 and again in 2004 while attending Florida’s Gulf Coast Community College, the third time was the charm for the Baltimore Orioles as their 18th round 2007 draft pick John Mariotti. He signed on the dotted line and began his pro ball career after leading the nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers to Big South Conference prominence and compiling an impressive 13-2 career record.

Coastal Carolina University pitching ace John Mariotti led the Chanticleers to the top in 2006 and 2007.

The six-foot-one right hander made his professional debut in 2007 with Orioles’ Short-Season Single-A Aberdeen and posted a 2-2 record with a 1.46 ERA. He spent his entire 2008 campaign at Single-A Delmarva. Mariotti began the 2009 season at Single-A Advanced Frederick and moved up to Double-A Bowie, where he started 13 games and compiled a 3.44 ERA. The Orioles’ farmhand was back at Frederick in 2010, when he made 41 appearances out of the bullpen and chalked up three saves.

Italo-Canadian John Mariotti now pitches closer to home for the Québec Capitales, winners of their fourth consecutive Can-Am League Championship title in 2012.

Québec Capitales’ starting pitcher John Mariotti has found his groove in the Independent Can-Am League.

The Woodbridge, Ontario MiLB expat was a welcome addition to the 2011 Québec Capitales‘ starting pitching rotation. Mariotti went 11-1 in the regular season with 2.74 ERA in 108.1 innings of work before going undefeated in the postseason with a 1.98 ERA. The Philadelphia Phillies came calling for Mariotti as he was signed to a minor league contract and invited to 2012 Spring Training. The hype was short-lived, and he retreated to comfy Les Capitales de Québec, where he tallied a 10-1 record in 98.1 innings with a 4.03 ERA in 2012.

Representing the “Azzuri” Team Italy, John Mariotti will face Mexico, USA and Canada in the 2013 WBC
at Chase Field (Phoenix, AZ) and Salt River Fields
at Talking Stick (Scottsdale, AZ) beginning March 7th.

Under the leadership of manager Marco Mazzieri, pitching coach Bill Holmberg, hitting coach Mike Piazza, third base coach Alberto D’Auria and first base coach Claudio Vecchi, Team Italy remained undefeated (9-0) in the 2012 European Championship by outscoring opponents 45-4 during the first five games of Pool A competition and then continued with their winning ways by outscoring others 18-6 in the remaining four games of the medal round. By defeating the Netherlands twice back-to-back on their home turf during the final two days of the 2012 European Championship, Team Italy demonstrated its resilience against a squad which was the biggest surprise of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Remember the Dutch defeated the Dominican Republic twice and moved on to the second round of play.

Let’s put the Italian victory over the Netherlands in the 2012 European Championship into perspective. By the Dutch winning the 2011 World Cup after upsetting a talented Cuban team in the finals, does that make Italy the new elite class of European baseball and the spoiler in the upcoming 2013 World Baseball Classic? With John Mariotti’s winning spirit, Italy has got a real shot.

Although these are gorgeous girls from Australia, Mat McHugh and The Beautiful Girls are playing five live concerts in British Columbia, Canada.

The Beautiful Girls are an Aussie band led by Mat McHugh (center), an internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter who also tours solo while not surfing the break
at Sydney's world-class beaches.

Move over former lovers Tommy Lee and Kid Rock because Mat McHugh and The Beautiful Girls have arrived at Pamela Anderson’s old stomping grounds. Whether it be at one of Kelly Slater’s secret surfing spots on the rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island in Tofino or at the site of Shawn White’s 2010 Winter Olympic brilliance in Whistler, The Beautiful Girls are playing there. Weaned on punk rock, reggae and hip hop while growing up and surfing in Sydney’s Northern Beach community of Dee Why, frontman Mat McHugh has filled his cup with a cornucopia of influences after spending extended periods of time away from his peaceful Aussie abode in such diverse places as New York, India and Nepal. A lover of dub and dancehall with an ear for wicked riddims, McHugh has his pulse on the international global beat. The Beautiful Girls’ 2010 “Spooks” release showcased the group’s signature sound of folk, reggae, rock, and roots. Mat said, “Our albums tend to sell over time. they never seem to come out with a bang. We rely on word of mouth and like the feeling of people discovering our music for themselves, which I guess is the opposite of how the media-driven music industry would tend to operate. We are just an independent band that

has to find a foothold with every release. By choice we don’t have a major label budget or marketing plan to help us be established. The only way we can even compete in the circus that is the music industry is by having something to say and saying it as honestly as we can. It’s a constant battle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because, for the most part, the music industry and it’s style of hyping every ‘next best thing’ makes me sick.” The long drought for a new release from The Beautiful Girls is by design. Mat McHugh has been busy touring nonstop as a solo act after releasing an EP and two full-length efforts, including the new CD entitled “Love Come Save Me”–which is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD at www.lovecomesaveme.com.
McHugh said, “My only goal is to spread love and give something back to the Universe. I would love for anyone that the music reaches to share it and send it out into the World. The power of ‘word of mouth’ is almighty.” In the spirit of giving, all net profit of CDs sold will be donated to the Surfrider Foundation.

The Beautiful Girls enjoy some positive beach vibes.

Currently on tour solo supporting Sublime with Rome in Australia, Mat McHugh is an Aussie one man punky reggae party. “I love the really early dancehall and rocksteady stuff. It’s as crusty and weird as early punk to me. King Tubby, Johnny Osbourne–that’s the more influential side of reggae to me–the originators, who led to the punky stuff like The Specials, The Clash, The Beat,” McHugh said.

Mat McHugh, Kelly Slater and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam are passionate about surfing and music. So it would come as no surprise to see the three of them onstage singing about the sport they love and the special connection they all share with the ocean. Slater and Vedder have been friends for 15 years. Vedder also was very close to the late legendary punk rocker Johnny Ramone. Pearl Jam paid tribute to the Ramones by covering the classic “I Believe in Miracles”, which is one of Slater’s favorite jams.

Born on Vancouver Island and "discovered" after being shown on the BC Lions big screen,
Comox Valley native Pamela Anderson welcomes The Beautiful Girls to her childhood digs.

The Beautiful Girls are happy to be returning to their huge loyal fan base in B.C., Canada.

Dressed in a Labatt beer T-shirt, Pamela Anderson was “discovered” at a football game when her image was transmitted on the British Columbia Lions stadium’s big screen. Fans fell in love with the 22-year-old blonde bombshell, who was signed immediately to become Labatt’s Blue Zone Girl. The Beautiful Girls have had a tough act to follow in swaying the Blue Zone vote their way, but they are well-known for giving their ever growing BC audience intimate sold-out shows like no others. The Beautiful Girls Canadian show schedule is as follows: April 18th from 2:30-5:30 pm with Ash Grunwald opening @ Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival-Skiers Plaza and later that night at Kokanee FreeRide @ Moe Joe’s Nightclub;
April 19th @ Club 9one9 in Victoria; April 20th @ The Legion Hall in Tofino; and April 21st 7 pm with Ash Grunwald opening @ The Venue in Vancouver. The prolific and bona fide McHugh said, “I want to take this opportunity to deeply thank everybody that has supported me and my music, whether solo or with The Beautiful Girls, throughout the years. You’ll never know how much it means. Please accept this music how it was intended, with love…”

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